Pocket door kit options
Hi all, I’m about to begin framing interior partition walls and have begun researching pocket door frame/hardware kits. Our plan includes several (four!) single-slab pocket doors due to space constraints.
I initially planned to use Cavity Sliders (marketed by Matt Risinger), however the materials quote I received seemed crazy, almost $2k per door (for frame, hardware, handles). I like Cavity Sliders a lot because of the aluminum frames, ball bearing rollers, good handle design, etc. But that’s a lot of money and I still have to make the door slab.
The box store options, Johnson hardware for example, while extremely affordable, seem pretty low quality.
Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on alternate manufacturers that are still high quality but at a lower price point?
Thanks!
Adam
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Replies
Cavity Sliders... what a terrible name
I have 2 Johnson sliders for 9 years. The hollow core door has been fine. The heavier solid core door with sleeve bearing wheels did become a problem. The upgrade to ball bearing used the original track and has been fine since.
Get the ball bearing option.
Walta
I usually spec Johnson's 2000 series; it's beefier than their lighter-weight options. I add soft-close. I often have the walls sheathed with 3/4" plywood before installing drywall; it makes a huge difference on wall stiffness.
We used Cavity Sliders on one project with two 4'x9' doors with 1/4" glass panels. No issues that I've heard of after over a year of occupancy.
We've used dozens and dozens of Johnson 1500 & 2000, and now that there's soft close hardware we're also using Johnson 2500 as well.
They're pretty good, few problems, parts available locally, many carpenters are familiar.
We've had some issues with the handful of cavity sliders we installed. The pieces that hold the drywall are very solid but I think we had some hardware problems.
I've had little issue with the Johnson hardware kits, but I haven't used any of the doors and frames (those have always been site built). I recommend only using the "three roller" type tracks though like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Johnson-Hardware-100PD-Series-72-in-Pocket-Door-Track-and-Hardware-Set-100721DR/202091502
The little trolley assemblies that have rollers on both sides of the track are far, far better than the type that have all the rollers in a single row. I have noticed massive improvement in the operation of pocket doors after upgrading to this better style of harware with the rollers on both sides of the track.
Bill
Adam,
Look at your floor plans and eliminate as many of the pocket doors as you can. To me they are a solution of last resort.
Hi Malcolm,
I have to disagree with your aversion to pocket doors. One of the best designed (town) homes I've lived in had five pocket doors: each side of a "Jack and Jill" bathroom between the 2nd and 3rd bedrooms and double doors from entry hall into den, and the master closet. These doors made the space so much more accessible, or in the case of the bathroom, even possible. I never had a problem with the doors during the ~ 10 years I lived there.
See attachments for three of the five pocket doors, and the floor plan (which does not reflect all the pocket doors accurately).
In my current home, the swinging door into the "too small for a door" master walk-in-closet is such a pain that my neighbor with similar closet has their door sitting in their garage, presumably to be rehung when/if up for resale.
OK, the probability may be that most builders would bungle a door due to skimping on hardware and/or on skilled craftsman, but if you are skilled and doing the work yourself or willing to pay the freight to someone else for doing the job right, then to me, pocket doors are awesome, and their value to livability far outweighs their cost.
Joe
Joe,
I do like double pocket doors. They open up the spaces in a way French ones often don't. I find that most single ones are usually only there to compensate for design flaws in the floor plan. Bathrooms with more than one door are also something I design out of projects. No one is ever really comfortable in them.
Pros to pocket doors include being generally good for accessible design, leaving wall space available for art, not swinging into tight rooms or hallways, less risk of slamming closed, and some people just prefer the sliding motion.
Cons include being more expensive to install, flimsy walls unless they are reinforced, significantly worse soundproofing due to the cavernous gaps typically required, a less-natural motion than swinging a door open for most people, risk of nailing into the door when installing baseboards or other items, operation is louder than swinging a door closed quietly, challenges in locating switches, trends come and go and they're currently trendy. I installed many when I was a carpenter and adjusted others already installed; even with very good attention to detail, it's hard to make them perfect, and even slight settling as a building ages can really mess with reveals.
I generally save them for locations where they solve a problem, but some of my clients love them and want them everywhere they'll work.
I'll add to your list of cons that the track/trolley assembly is more prone to failure than regular door hinges. You can have "derailed" trolleys that jam, broken rollers, all kinds of things with the more complex mechanism, and it's really difficult to do anything with the track where it's concealed within the "pocket" of the wall. There are often issues with the latch lining up too.
The pro is that the doors need no space to swing. Most all the rest is a con.
Bill